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Car Designers: Citroen DS Most Beautiful Car in The History of the World, Ever
by
Robert Farago
(IC: employee)
Published: February 5th, 2009
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Classic & Sports Car magazine asked 20 car designers (full list after the jump) to name the most beautiful whip of all time. The winner: the Citroen DS. The Jaguar XK120 takes second place, followed by the Ferrari 275GTB, Cord 810/812, Ferrari 250GT Lusso, Ferrari 250GT Short-wheelbase, Jaguar E-type, Lamborghini Miura, Lotus Elan and Lotus Elite (1957). Caution: the DS’ position at the top of the pile (that doesn’t sound right) makes it the vehicle that most jurors voted most highly—rather than the car that most of them thought was the most beautiful. (Polls are funny that way. And our headline’s entirely misleading, now that I think about it.) Unfortunately, the buff book’s press release doesn’t reveal who voted for what. But the idea that a DS can hold a candle to American automobiles of the Classic Era (e.g. 1931 Duesenberg Model SJ “French Speedster” or 1935 Auburn 851 Speedster) is ludicrous, in a Le Corbusier is my God kinda way.
Robert Farago
More by Robert Farago
Published February 5th, 2009 7:28 PM
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- GrumpyOldMan All modern road vehicles have tachometers in RPM X 1000. I've often wondered if that is a nanny-state regulation to prevent drivers from confusing it with the speedometer. If so, the Ford retro gauges would appear to be illegal.
- Theflyersfan Matthew...read my mind. Those old Probe digital gauges were the best 80s digital gauges out there! (Maybe the first C4 Corvettes would match it...and then the strange Subaru XT ones - OK, the 80s had some interesting digital clusters!) I understand the "why simulate real gauges instead of installing real ones?" argument and it makes sense. On the other hand, with the total onslaught of driver's aid and information now, these screens make sense as all of that info isn't crammed into a small digital cluster between the speedo and tach. If only automakers found a way to get over the fallen over Monolith stuck on the dash design motif. Ultra low effort there guys. And I would have loved to have seen a retro-Mustang, especially Fox body, have an engine that could rev out to 8,000 rpms! You'd likely be picking out metal fragments from pretty much everywhere all weekend long.
- Analoggrotto What the hell kind of news is this?
- MaintenanceCosts Also reminiscent of the S197 cluster.I'd rather have some original new designs than retro ones, though.
- Fahrvergnugen That is SO lame. Now if they were willing to split the upmarketing price, different story.
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Of course the DS won. They polled people who actually know a thing or two about car design, such as the venerable Giorgetto Guigaro, Peter Stevens, and Renault's criminally underrated design savant Patrick le Quoment, while avoiding polling hacks such as Chris Bungle. People of that caliber recognize the difference between talent and genius, and the Goddess is genius unadulterated. The last sentence of the blurb on this website shows its author to be a Red America rube rather than someone with a solid appreciation for design. After all, a vintage Duesey may be a very beautiful and breathtakingly well-crafted motorcar, but it's not any more beautiful than, say, a 1934 Citroën Traction Avant. That said, i agree with people above that the omission of cars such as the Talbot Lago teardrop coupe, NSU Ro80, and the Cisitalia 202MM is puzzling. To that list I'd add the Alfa GTV1750, MGA, Chrysler Airflow, and Lancia Fulvia. But a McDonald's fast-food styling job like a Stingray Corvette or ur-Mustang? No way.
[...] Disc brakes, power steering, and semi-automatic gears were extremely uncommon back then and alone justify the DS’s uniqueness, even if it had been ugly. Which it was not. [...]